Bank of Crete, 25 drachmai, SPECIMEN

Bank of Crete 25 drachmai SPECIMEN for serial numbers A034 300,001 - A031 340,000 No signatures, perforated cancelled Note: Following the departure of the Ottoman forces in December 1898, the Cretan government under Eleftherios Venizelos established the Bank of Crete with the assistance of the National Bank of Greece. The bank received the exclusive privilege, for thirty years, of issuing banknotes in the island of Crete, the 25 drachmai and 100 drachmai. The National Bank of Greece acquired the Bank of Crete in 1919, seizing print of the local banknotes. At its height, the bank operated some 86 branches in all major Greek cities and a representative office in London.